


Proposal

by captain_britain



Category: The Authority, WildStorm
Genre: Don’t post to another site, M/M, Rated for language and a brief fight with a goose, proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:13:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23705170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captain_britain/pseuds/captain_britain
Summary: Midnighter proposes to Apollo.How much simpler could it get?
Relationships: Apollo/Midnighter
Comments: 5
Kudos: 36





	Proposal

The table setting was mathematically perfect, everything put in place with a precision that could only be achieved by someone with a computer in their head. The food would be coming out of the oven in exactly four minutes and thirty-two seconds. Midnighter brushed a speck of dirt too small for human eyes to see off the tablecloth and adjusted the Carrier’s lights exactly twelve lumens. He let out a breath that he felt he had been holding for three weeks and adjusted his coat until it was hanging off him in exactly the way that Apollo liked. There. Now everything was perfect.

The doors to their quarters opened with a soft whoosh, and Midnighter turned to look at his boyfriend, his smile falling off his face as he took in Apollo’s appearance. “What the fuck happened to you?” He blurted out before he could stop himself. 

“Sea monster,” Apollo said, wringing water out of his hair onto the floor. Midnighter would be angry about that later. “Some scientists drilled too deep in the Arctic or something. I don’t know. I wasn’t really paying attention to the hows and whys when the fucking thing was trying to swallow me.” That would explain why Midnighter wasn’t invited to that particular fight. He wasn’t much use in the middle of the ocean. It stung, but at least he wasn’t Jack. Apollo caught sight of the table. “What’s that?”

“Dinner.” Midnighter’s throat was dry. 

“Oh babe, that’s so sweet, but I’m exhausted. Can we just cuddle and watch tv instead?”

“Yeah,” Midnighter said, carefully schooling his expression to hide his disappointment. “Go get changed and dry off. I’ll clean all this up.”

Apollo stopped at the table on his way to the bedroom. “You got champagne!” He said excitedly. 

Midnighter nodded, a little dumbstruck by the turn his evening had taken. Then, The Computer caught up with what Apollo had said. “Wait!” He turned just in time to see Apollo down the entire glass and smack his lips.

“What?” He asked.

“Nothing,” Midnighter forced out. He had just swallowed the ring. Apollo had swallowed the fucking ring! With Apollo’s digestive system, there was absolutely no chance of recovering it. The Computer helpfully spat out a series of calculations that told Midnighter exactly how long he had to get the ring out of Apollo’s stomach before it dissolved completely. “It’s fine.”

Apollo shrugged, set the glass back on the table, and disappeared into the bedroom, and Midnighter sat down heavily on the couch, his head in his hands.

* * *

Fuck it, who needed fancy dinners or romantic getaways? He and Apollo were always working anyway, shouldn’t he propose where they spent most of their time?

It was with that conviction that Midnighter marched into the central hub of the Carrier where Apollo was talking with Angie. “Apollo, I need to talk to you.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I love you.”

Apollo nodded into the silence that followed Midnighter’s declaration. “I love you too. Babe, what’s this all abou-”

“Shhh,” Midnighter said. “Just let me get through this.” He took a deep breath and slowly sank to one knee in front of Apollo. “I love you so much, I don’t know what to do. I want to wake up next to you every day for the rest of my life. You’re gorgeous, and I wonder every single day what made you fall for a bastard like me. I’ve loved you ever since I met you and there’s not a single thing I would ever change about you. I love the way you look in the morning with your hair a mess, how you glow when the sun comes out, the way your eyes crinkle when you laugh. And the way you can kill stuff just by looking at it? Fuck, that’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. You’re so fucking perfect. I don’t deserve it, but I would be honored if you would choose to spend the rest of your life with me.” Midnighter reached out and caught Apollo’s hand. 

“And I want to-” Midnighter cut himself off as he reached into his right hand pocket to find it empty. Hurriedly, Midnighter reached into his left hand pocket only to find that one empty too. Still on one knee, Midnighter let go of Apollo and quickly pressed his hands to his leather duster, attempting to feel the ring box in one of its many pockets. 

“Uh, Midnighter-”

“Hush, I know it’s in here somewhere.”

Midnighter started emptying his pockets. As he pulled grenades and brass knuckles out of his coat pockets, Midnighter tried not to panic. It had to be in there somewhere, right? He shook out a length of coiled rope in the hopes that it had gotten tangled up in there and tossed it away when it proved empty. A handful of knives and his collapsible bo staff joined the steadily growing pile in front of him, and Midnighter started to feel a curl of anxiety in his stomach. When the coat’s many pockets were empty, Midnighter sifted through the mound of weapons, certain he had missed it somewhere.

Kneeling in front of the small mountain of weapons that had come out of his coat, Midnighter put his head in his hands. A fucking super computer in his brain and he couldn’t keep track of one fucking ring box?! Fuck!

“Midnighter? Babe? Are you alright?”

Midnighter didn’t think he had the ability to blush anymore, but his ears felt hot all the same. “I’m fine!” He said, his voice too loud. “Forget this ever happened.” Taking The Computer’s suggestion, Midnighter turned tail and fled. 

“Your boyfriend’s fucking weird,” he heard Angie tell Apollo as he rounded the corner.

* * *

The setting sun glinted off the pond’s surface, making Apollo’s eyes sparkle. His expression was peaceful as he ran his thumb over the backs of Midnighter’s knuckles. 

Fuck, Midnighter loved him so much.

Winter was fast approaching, and with it came a lack of people walking through the park. They were alone. The setting was peaceful and perfect. His love looked gorgeous. Now, Midnighter thought to himself, ask him now. 

Midnighter took a deep breath and quickly knelt beside Apollo, pulling out the ring box. “Apollo,” Midnighter started, “I-“ 

He was cut off by a mouthful of feathers.

“What the-“ Midnighter put a hand down to brace himself as something slammed into his side again and started cuffing him around the ears. “Get off me!”

Midnighter managed to get a hand around the slender neck of whatever was attacking him and pulled it away from his face. “What the fuck?” He said bluntly.

The truly irate goose in his hand hissed in his face. 

“Fuck you too, buddy,” Midnighter snapped. The goose snapped its beak in his face. “What?!” Midnighter asked, looking around. “What did I do to you, huh?”

Midnighter’s glaring contest with the goose was broken when Apollo burst out laughing. “Seems like you made a friend.”

“Yeah,” Midnighter said, smirking up at Apollo, “think he’ll fit in with the rest of The Authority? He’s an asshole already.

Distracted as he was, Midnighter wasn’t able to brace himself as the goose lunged at him again. He over balanced on his knees and fell into the pond with a splash.

Having successfully ruined the moment, the goose was happy to swim away when Midnighter let go of him, honking and hissing a few final insults. 

Sitting in the shallow water, Midnighter blinked slowly, trying to figure out exactly what had happened. As The Computer played the incident over in his head, Midnighter realized that he could have seen the goose coming from a mile away, but he was too distracted by Apollo and too nervous about what he was going to say to heed the warnings The Computer had thrown at him. Apollo, still chuckling, grabbed him by the front of his shirt and hoisted him back onto dry land. “Are you ok,” he asked, his eyes still sparkling with mirth.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” Midnighter replied grumpily. “Fucking geese.”

“Oh come on, it was funny!” Apollo bumped his shoulder against Midnighter’s. “What were you going to say before your nemesis interrupted you?”

Midnighter looked down at his dripping clothes and sighed. The peace of the moment was shattered. “Nothing,” He grouched. “Nothing at all.”

* * *

The table was set to perfection. There hadn’t been a random sea monster attack. The ring was safe in Midnighter’s pocket. Apollo was sitting relaxed and loose in the chair across from him. Everything was set up perfectly for Midnighter to finally propose.

Except….

Except Midnighter hadn’t set this up. He had stumbled into their rooms after a long day of dealing with idiots to find Apollo lighting the last candle in the middle of the table. Apollo said he only did it because he felt like spoiling Midnighter, but both Midnighter and The Computer doubted that. 

Midnighter tilted his wine glass from side to side, watching the last drops of his drink slosh around and cleared his throat. “Apollo, there’s something I want to ask you,” he said softly. His free hand clenched around the ring box in his pocket. “We’ve been together for a few years now, and it seems like this is the most stable living situation we’re ever going to have, so I was wondering…” Midnighter trailed off, unable to keep looking Apollo in the eye.

He pulled out the ring box and set it in the middle of the table. “Marry me?”

Apollo didn’t say anything. The bottom fell out of Midnighter’s stomach as the silence stretched on, and The Computer hurriedly created a series of excuses he could use to escape the situation.

“You know what,” Midnighter said, “this was stupid, I’m sorry.” He reached out to take back the ring box, but Apollo caught hold of his wrist. 

Midnighter looked up at his boyfriend to see Apollo holding out a different ring box. “I was going to ask you the same thing,” Apollo said. Midnighter took the box from Apollo and popped it open to reveal a simple silver band with a crescent moon engraved on the inside. 

Sitting back in his chair, Midnighter gaped at the ring in his hand. He looked back up at Apollo, who shrugged somewhat ruefully. “Marry me?” He asked.

Midnighter started laughing and, if his laughter sounded more like frustrated sobbing, no one had to know.

* * *

“Apollo.” Midnighter stopped and dropped to one knee in the middle of the trail. The sun was shining, and the trail was nearly deserted. This was as good a moment as Midnighter was ever going to get. He fished the ring box out of his pocket and held it out to Apollo. “Marry me?”

Apollo blinked down at Midnighter, a confused wrinkle forming on his forehead. “Why?”

Midnighter was at a loss for words while The Computer attempted to process Apollo’s question. “Because. We love each other?”

“Aw babe, I don’t need a ring or anything to know you love me!” Apollo said. “Besides, with the lives we live is it really a good idea to tie ourselves down?”

Midnighter could see the future he imagined for the two of them dissolving before his eyes. His plan to adopt Jenny, the house on the lake he had dreamt up while Apollo basked in stolen moments of sunlight while they were on the run, the image of Apollo standing at the alter. All gone. He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. “Right,” he said quietly. “Yeah.”

“Marriage is such an outdated institution anyway,” Apollo said. “If you love someone why do you need a massive, expensive ceremony to show it? The entire thing is steeped in sexism and heteronormativity. We don’t need it.”

Midnighter stood up, hastily shoving the ring back in his pocket. “No,” he agreed. “We don’t need it.”

He did _want_ it, though.

* * *

Midnighter blinked as his eyes refocused on the ring resting in the center of his palm. He glanced at the clock next to him to see that roughly six hours had passed. Midnighter grunted quietly as he arched his back, grimacing at the pops that ran up his spine. He rarely fell down the rabbit hole of computer-generated scenarios for that long. Usually he either found the answer he was looking for in under five minutes, or Apollo pulled him out before he got lost in his own head. 

But this problem was too big. It had too many variables, too many ways to accomplish his goal. The Computer had never been good at accounting for human emotion in its equations. Midnighter supposed that fragile things like feelings were weak and unimportant to Bendix. After all, why would his genetically engineered perfect killing machines ever need to know anything about emotions?

Midnighter shook his head. Apollo never liked kissing him after he had been brooding. Apollo said angst made him taste bitter.

Speaking of the Sun God, Apollo huffed in his sleep and rolled over until he was sprawled out on his stomach, the broad expanse of his back exposed to the rays of the rising sun and one arm thrown over Midnighter’s hips. Midnighter laced the fingers of his right hand through Apollo’s left hand slung low over his hips and rubbed his thumb gently back and forth across the back of Apollo’s hand. 

Apollo’s side of the bed was the one closest to the Carrier’s floor-to-ceiling windows to the let him absorb the sunlight before he woke up. Midnighter took the side closest to the door partially out of necessity and partially because The Computer screamed at him about escape routes and points of entry if he tried to sleep on the side furthest from the door. All of this meant that Midnighter got to wake up to the sight of the love of his life backlit by the rising sun ever single day. Currently, Apollo had his face smushed into the pillows, his hair a tangled rat’s nest strewed across his shoulders and over his head, and he was drooling. Midnighter could hear him snoring quietly.

The sun was rising, casting pink and yellow steaks of light across Apollo’s back and making his hair glow with color. It was the most beautiful sight Midnighter had ever seen. 

He would have the exact same thought tomorrow and, if all went to plan, every day for the rest of his life. 

Midnighter lifted their joined hands and pressed a kiss to the back of Apollo’s knuckles. He slid the ring onto Apollo’s ring finger. The gold band fit perfectly, and Midnighter tilted his hand to let the metal catch the light of the rising sun. 

Deep down, Midnighter knew that Apollo would say yes no matter how he asked him, but Midnighter wanted it to be perfect. Neither of them had many memories compared to normal people their age and, of the memories they _did_ have, few were happy. Midnighter wanted to give Apollo at least one happy memory, dammit! Apollo deserved a perfect proposal. For once, though, Midnighter wasn’t able to predict his next move.

Midnighter smoothed his finger along the ring in the silence of the morning. He was certain that with enough scenarios, he would be able to fine the perfect-

Wait, silence?

When had Apollo stopped snoring?

Midnighter looked up from Apollo’s hand to see Apollo’s bright blue eyes staring at him from the other side of the bed. Apollo’s gaze flicked down to the ring still on his finger before returning to Midnighter’s shocked face.

Midnighter opened and closed his mouth a handful of times, at a loss for words. His grip on Apollo’s hand tightened reflexively as Apollo propped himself up on his elbow and slid closer to Midnighter.

“Ask me.” Apollo said quietly.

Midnighter’s throat was dry. Apollo’s hair was a mess. This wasn’t rehearsed or planned. Midnighter’s throat clicked as he swallowed. There were still faint love bites on Apollo’s collarbones from the night before. The soft golden light of the dawn was quickly being replaced by the bright yellow light of day. It wasn’t romantic or worthy of the question on Midnighter’s lips. 

It was perfect.

“Marry me?” Midnighter whispered into the silence of the morning.

Apollo leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to Midnighter’s lips.

“Of course.”

**Author's Note:**

> The fact that we never got to see Mid or Apollo propose is a crime. Also the fact that we don’t get more stuff about how The Computer works means that this is interpretation is valid.
> 
> This is the first non-E-rated thing I’ve ever posted!


End file.
